Adamawa communal violence: Nabbed 71 suspects handed over to police by Army

– Brigadier General Bello Mohammed of the 23 armoured brigade has handed over 71 suspects to the police in Adamawa

– The suspects were said to have been nabbed by the military after being caught involving in the communal violence between two Adamawa communities

– Receiving the suspects, assistant commissioner of police, Abu Vocho, vowed that the force will ensure security in the state

Not less than 71 suspects allegedly involved in the communal violence in Adamawa state have been handed over to the police by Nigerian Army’s Brigadier General Bello Mohammed of the 23 armoured brigade, The Punch reports.

Handling over the men to the police, Bello said the suspects were nabbed after two days of active engagement by the military dousing the inter-tribal conflict, which broke out between the Waja and Luguda communities in Lamurde and Guyuk local government areas of the state.

Legit.ng gathers that on the New Year day, the two communities, after years of peaceful co-existence, resulted to violence over what was said to be a battle superiority interest.

Talking about the crisis and the response of Nigerian Army, Bello said: “They are brothers who have lived with each other for a long time but last year (2018) alone, they had more than three bloody encounters of communal war. But in the latest crisis, we did not only stop it after two days of military engagement, but we also arrested 71 persons.

“When they saw us that day, instead of running, they felt the army was a toothless dog that can only bark and can’t bite. We had to fire some shots before they retreated.

“A lot of them, especially the stubborn ones wielding weapons, were cornered and arrested by soldiers.”

He also noted that the arrested suspect are youth capable of defying constitution, calling on the police to conduct thorough investigation and unravel the mystery behind the violence.

Hailing the military for its gallant effort to restore peace back to the two communities, the assistant commissioner of police in-charge of the criminal investigation department, Abu Vocho, vowed that the military and other security bodies will not relent in ensuring sanity in the state.

A statement by Brigadier General Texas Chuckwu, the director of Army public relations, said the suspects were alleged to be responsible for giving information to bandits before they carried out attacks.